Christmas at the Manor
by TriDogMom
Summary: Hermione shares her Christmas Tradition with Lucius


**Written for the Strictly Lumione Christmas Fest 2019 on Ao3**

* * *

Hermione stepped out of the Floo at Malfoy Manor and the first thing she noticed was the smell of fir trees. Looking around she saw that the Floo room had been decorated for Christmas. Each of the three mantels were covered with thick fir garlands, fairy lights and red bows. Even though she had been dating Lucius for almost a year, she had never seen the Manor decorated for Christmas.

She had started dating Lucius last year after his annual New Year's Eve party. It was a tradition that had started with his mother that Narcissa took over after their marriage. When Narcissa divorced Lucius after the war, he had almost cancelled the event, but Draco convinced him not to.

That was the first year Hermione attended. She had been at Hogwarts with Draco finishing their final year and had become friends while working on a Arithmancy project together. Deciding that visiting the scene of her torture might help with her nightmares. She arrived with Harry before the party began and Draco showed her into the drawing room. She couldn't recognize anything in it.

The chandelier had been replaced with one of a different design. The stone floor had been covered and large area rugs had been replaced. Draco explained that the beautiful carpet with peacocks that now covered the floor was a custom piece from a muggle place called Axminster Carpets. Every piece of furniture in the room felt warm and inviting. Not counting the library, this was Hermione's favorite room in the house. Now, three years later she was living in the Manor and in a months time she would be hosting the annual party as Lucius' fiancé.

"Hello Miss." Chip, the house elf in charge of greeting anyone that entered the property, said.

"Hello Chip. Did you help decorate today?" Hermione asked, handing over her coat.

"Yes, Miss. I's be doing this room."

"And did they leave my tree alone?" Hermione asked.

She wanted to keep the tradition of decorating the house on Dec. 1 going in her new home. After talking to Lucius and the head elf, she realized it was too big of a job to decorate a place as big as the Manor by herself.

Deciding that it would still be special if she just dressed the tree that would be in the private family sitting area, she had asked the house elves to leave it alone. She had brought over the boxes of Christmas baubles from her childhood to hang. They were one of the few things she had saved from her parent's house before she sent them to Australia.

Lucius couldn't understand why anyone would want to decorate anything by hand instead of conjuring the decorations, but agreed.

"Yes, Miss. Master Lucius be waiting for you in there. We go now?" Chip asked.

Even though Hermione lived in the house, she wasn't able to Apparate within the grounds. That was reserved for Malfoys by blood or marriage. Just six more months until their wedding and then she wouldn't have to rely on Chip to do it.

* * *

"Hello, dear," Lucius said as he stood to great her. "How was work today?"

"It was fine," she replied. "I just need a few more days and then I can submit the Werewolf Protection Act to the Wizenagmot. I think I am going to work from here tomorrow. There are some books in the library that look promising."

Hermione had been trying to get act submitted to the Wizenagmot for the last year, but her department head kept kicking it back. She understood why, he wanted to help the werewolves too and wanted to make sure their proposal was solid, but she was still ready for it to be over.

"I look forward to having you home. I don't know why you still want to work when we don't need the money," Lucius said.

"Lucius, we have already talked about this," Hermione replied. "I want to work. I like being productive."

They had discussed this many times. While Lucius was on the board of a few companies, he had no need to work and felt Hermione should quit and just volunteer with charities. She hadn't told him yet, but she was thinking that after the Werewolf Act passed, she might leave the Ministry. It was hard for her to imagine not working. Or relying on Lucius to pay for everything. She was secure in her relationship, but what if something happened? She wanted to make sure she had enough of her own money in the bank just in case.

She had been able to save up almost all of her earnings. After leaving Hogwarts, she moved in with Harry and started working at the Ministry. One nice thing about the Wizarding world was the lack of bills. Because Grimmauld Place was paid for, the only costs she had was splitting the food with Harry and any clothes or entertainment she wanted. Once she had started dating Lucius, he refused to let her pay for anything, so all of the money she made was put into her vault. That money was one reason she was considering Lucius' offer; if something happened, she'd have enough to move out right away.

"I know you do, but I miss you when you are gone," Lucius said. Pulling her close, he kissed her gently.

He wasn't the only one missing someone when she was at work. Lucius was always on her mind when she was away from him. Moving her hand into his long hair, she pulled him closer and deepened the kiss.

"You know, no one wants to watch you two kiss." Draco's drawling voice cut through her lust filled haze.

"Hello, son," Lucius said before kissing Hermione chastely once more. "We didn't hear you come in."

"What exactly am I doing here?" Draco asked.

Draco no longer lived at the Manor. Lucius refused to have Draco's parade of 'morally loose floozies' parading through his home. Instead he had purchased him a flat in SoHo. Draco loved it there, confiding to Hermione that he, Harry, Blaise Zabini, Dean Thomas, and Theo Nott went out a few times a week to party and pick up women. Harry and Dean, now flatmates at Grimmauld Place, both being muggle raised were comfortable in the Muggle world and had taught the Pureblood boys the joys of a culture that wasn't quite so puritan.

"We are decorating the tree, Draco. It will be fun," Hermione said.

"I thought that was what we had elves for." Draco looked dubiously at the boxes.

"Elitist snob," Hermione teased him. "I used to do this every year with my parents and it is something I want to carry on with my children. Since I will be your step-mum, you are required to participate."

"Don't remind me about that. It's so gross."

Draco was actually really happy that Hermione and Lucius were together. He had told her that she was a great match for his father and had never seen him so happy. In the four years since they had become friends, Draco and her had developed a friendship where the Love Language was sarcasm and insults.

"Before we begin, I have a present for each of you," Hermione said, pulling two small boxes from her bag and handing one to each to them. "This is something else I did with my parents."

"Here you go, love." Lucius handed her a small box. "Harry told me about your tradition."

Hermione smiled at her fiancé and allowed him to wipe the stray tear from her face. Post war Lucius Malfoy was the most thoughtful man she had ever met.

"Hermione, I hate you." Draco interrupted their moment.

Ever the spoiled child, Draco had not waited for them to watch as he opened his present. Every year before the Grangers decorated their tree, they would each exchange a small ornament that reminded them of the other person or something that had happened that year. Since this was the first year of the tradition with the Malfoys, she had gone to a jeweler and had each of the men custom crystal ornaments done.

"What is that?" Lucius asked.

"She got me a fucking ferret," Draco growled as he glared at her. "I am not hanging this on the tree, Granger."

"Language, Draco. And yes you are. Hermione put a lot of thought into that," Lucius said.

Hermione noticed that while he kept a straight face, his eyes were full of laughter.

Lucius reached for his own box. Inside Hermione had given him a crystal pyramid. It was a reminder of their first date. Hermione had told Lucius at his New Year's Eve party that she had always wanted to go to Egypt. The next weekend he took her on a mini break and had a private tour for all the best spots.

"Do you like it, Lucius?" Hemrione asked.

"I love it. Thank you."

Opening her box, Hermione smiled at the ornament inside. It was a small box with a picture of the fireworks from last years party playing over and over again. She had been standing next to Lucius when midnight struck and George's firework display started. They had shared their first kiss under the booming lights.

"This is perfect, Lucius. Thank you." Hermione kissed him.

* * *

Hermione stood looking into the box of Christmas ornaments the elves had brought into the drawing room. Over the years, she had gotten rid of most of the cheap ones that had decorated her tree when she was younger, keeping only the ones that meant the most to her. Now, over fifty years later the box contained years of ornaments exchanged between her, Lucius, and Draco.

Lucius and Hermione added to the family with their two boys, Brutus and Septimus, and daughter Athena and their ornaments were included as well. The family had grown when Draco married Astoria and had their son Scorpius.

Opening the small boxes, Hermione let the memories of them wash over her.

There were the two diamond rings, almost identical except for the initial on top to celebrate two engagements. Within two weeks of each other, Athena had come home with a new fiancé, James Sirius Potter, and Scorpius had shocked everyone with one Rose Weasley, Ron's only daughter, on his arm with a ring on her finger. As much as the families had spent time together while their children were growing up, Ron and Draco never got along. It was owing to this that no one even knew Scorpius and Rose were dating.

There was a small rattle for Brutus' daughter's first Christmas, and a similar one for for his first grandson.

A broomstick for the year Septimus made the Slytherin house quidditch team, and a dragon to celebrate the summer internship at the Welsh Dragon Reserve.

Hermoine cried as she opened the box with a miniature rowan wand shooting three sparks that had purchased to the year Astoria had died. That had been the worst Christmas and only Hermoine and the children had been strong enough to decorate the tree that year.

There was a small palm tree from the ten year anniversary trip she and Lucius had taken to the Maldives.

A Taj Mahal for their trip to India.

A Statue of Liberty for New York City.

A rainbow to celebrate the birth of Athena's second child, her rainbow baby, after she had lost three to miscarriage.

A weasel for the year Ron had died in a car crash. Draco had purchased it for her and held her while she cried.

A large Roman numeral C to celebrate Lucius' one hundredth birthday the year before.

They had so many ornaments now that they had started decorating three trees and had moved the tradition into the drawing room as their private sitting room was too small for the family.

"Reminiscing, my love?" Lucius asked, moving to sit down beside her.

The years had been good to Lucius, and Hermione thanked Merlin and every Muggle deity that people with magical blood aged slower. Had they been without magic, Lucius may have been alive, but he wouldn't be as tall and regal as he ever was. Even at a hundred years old, he looked and acted similar to a man of seventy five.

"It's part of the tradition. To remember why you were given, or gave, a certain item," Hermione said before turning to kiss her husband.

"And which one of yours is your favourite?" Lucius asked.

"I have so many that I love. The wolf because of the protection act passing is very special to me, but I think it is the Muggle walker Draco gave me when Astoria gave birth and I became a grandmother at twenty seven." Draco had gone shopping with Harry at the pharmacy and purchased an actual walker before shrinking it down to be the right size. "What about you, Lucius?"

"My favourite is the one I gave you that first year, the fireworks." Lucius took her by the hands. "It was the start of all of this. The year you came into this house and showed me why traditions are so important."

"I love you, Lucius." Hermione pressed her forehead into his.

"I love you, too."

"You know, no one wants to watch you two kiss." Draco's voice cut across the silence. "But I guess after all these years, you two making out in front of me is part of this tradition."


End file.
